CUTOFF CLOSE FOR PATIENTS, GROWERS; MANY REDDING POT COLLECTIVES MAY
BE SHUTTERED

Staring straight down a Dec. 1 deadline to close his business, Jess
Brewer was in full "scramble mode" Wednesday.

Along with the other cannabis collective operators in Redding, Brewer
was wondering what was going to happen to his business, Trusted
Friends, and the patients who rely on it.

"I'm freaked out. I'm going to lose my house," Brewer said. "They put
us out of business before Christmas, oh ho-ho!"

The Redding City Council voted Tuesday night to pass an urgency
ordinance that requires marijuana collectives serving more than 10
patients to close by Dec. 1.

Collective operators said Wednesday they were going to change the way
they operate, while others predicted they would have to close down.

Brewer said even though he will no longer be operating a nonprofit
collective, he has to pay rent for December and January. That will
cost him $5,000, he said.

Brewer sells his cannabis products on consignment, so whatever
product he has left by December he will return to his suppliers. He
said he is concerned for his two employees, who will be laid off and
likely have to receive unemployment benefits.

He predicted a painful economic impact from the closures ranging from
the loss of sales tax revenue, to laid off employees to a reduction
in spending at hardware and home stores.

Not all collectives wanted to divulge the hits they'll take from the
forced closures. But Brewer said he has paid about $3,000 a month in
sales taxes since opening in December 2008.

Nature's Nexus collective on Hartnell Avenue has 13 employees, five
of them full time, said CEO Jeanette Ernst. The dispensary's board of
directors was to meet Wednesday night to discuss what to do in the
wake of the council's action.

Ernst said they would talk about three options: to seek an injunction
against the city to prevent it from enforcing the law, file a lawsuit
against the city and try to get a referendum on the ballot to
overturn the city's ordinance.

Nature's Nexus sells dry marijuana, as well as such products as
tablets, crackers, tinctures and ointments. Patients need different
medications, depending on their ailments, Ernst said.

"My big concern is finding a way to get our members the medicine they
need," Ernst said.

Bill Nagel, the city's interim development services director, said
most collective operators already know about the council's action and
are aware of the Dec. 1 deadline. But his department is drafting a
letter to send to the 16 dispensary operators informing them about
their obligations under the new law.

Redding contractor Bobby Martin who owns the space formally occupied
by the Hampton Collective in Mission Square on Bechelli Lane said he
evicted the collective at the end of October after he received a
letter from the federal government threatening action against
landlords who rented to collectives.

"I am not even sure we had to evict them, but when we got the letter
that told us they would start coming after us, we didn't want to take
any chances," Martin said.

The Hampton Collective had a month-to-month rental agreement with Martin.

Martin doesn't think any landlord who rents to a collective will want
to take the risk.

"We tried to help them (pot collectives), and we got some rent out of
it, so they helped us," Martin said. "Unfortunately, the city changed
its mind . . . and now everybody has spent a ton of money for nothing."

Dorothy Smith, who owns the building housing Trusted Friends on Pine
Street, said Brewer has been a good tenant, making about $7,000 in
improvements to the building since he moved in.

Considering the state of the economy, Smith doubts she will be able
to get another tenant to pay the $2,500 a month Brewer did.

Smith also owns the building formerly occupied by Bedrooms Direct, at
the corner of Pine and Placer streets. When Bedrooms Direct closed
down and moved out after 30 years it took her six months to find a
tenant that would agree to a five-year lease, Smith said.

Like Brewer, Smith predicted she wouldn't be the only person to lose
money when the collectives close.

"It will hurt a lot of people," Smith said. "I know that there will
be an impact on everybody that leases to these people."

Charree Richey, vice president of the Planet Herb Medical Marijuana
Collective on Hilltop Drive, said the all-volunteer business won't
close Dec. 1. Planet Herb will work to get its 4,800 patients help
finding the medicine they need.

Richey and Ernst said they received many calls from patients
Wednesday wondering if they will be able to continue to receive medicine.

"I've spent the majority of my day on the phone calming down my
patients. They're scared," Ernst said.